January 2011

Scott Weiss ’00, MBA ’05

Recipient of the 2010 Robert J. Swieringa Young Alumni Service Award

By Maria Minsker ’13

Scott Weiss ’00, MBA ’05

Scott Weiss, vice president in equity generalist sales at Barclays Capital, says the two years he spent at Johnson were the best years of his life. “My experience and education at Johnson impacted my career and life in ways that have exceeded my greatest expectations,” he says. “It introduced me to some of my best friends, allowed me to transition careers by giving me an opportunity to work in capital markets, and prepared me for work with a very diverse group of people,” he says.

That’s why Weiss is such an active member of the Johnson community. In 2005, he became chair of his class giving campaign committee, and he has been serving as a class agent since then – work he describes as “tremendously rewarding.” Under Weiss’s leadership, the Class of 2005 achieved ninety-nine percent participation the year they graduated and fifty percent or more in every following year (except 2006). Their efforts also led to the establishment of the school’s largest class-named scholarship fund. “Our class is made up of tremendous individuals who had a special experience during their years at [Johnson] that made them want to support the school,” Weiss says. “Luckily for me, they have made it easy to keep our numbers up because they understand the importance of giving to the school year after year,” he says.

As class agent, Weiss keeps in touch with almost every member of his class and hear about the great things happening in their lives, from new jobs and promotions to marriages and children. “Even though I left Cornell over 5 years ago, I am still very close to every member of my class and I think my periodic updates have helped our entire class stay in touch,” he says. “In addition to my classmates, I still maintain relationships with many of my professors and administrators. It is a network I will continue to leverage in my career and life and that I hope to give back to for many years to come.”

As a member of Johnson’s Dean’s Leadership Council members, Weiss has also had the opportunity to work closely with some of the school’s most dedicated alumni and administrators to ensure that fundraising efforts consistently improve. “As a group we have been successful in increasing the number of leadership gifts through peer-to-peer asks and have impacted the fundraising strategies and programs run out of Ithaca,” he says.

At Barclays Capital, Weiss spends most of his time working with the firm's largest equity clients to deliver the best ideas and solutions. He often works across asset classes with other departments including commodities, banking, and credit, to present new opportunities to clients. “Having the ability to work with many different types of product specialists within Barclays Capital and interacting with different types of investors keeps things very interesting,” he says.